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Witold M. Wachowski, PhD
Witold M. Wachowski, PhD
My research focuses on the philosophy and methodology of cognitive science. I am also the founder of the Avant Project, dedicated to the interdisciplinary development of science and philosophy. However, my academic journey has been more nonlinear than my formal qualifications might suggest. Initially, I was a medical school student in Kraków, before turning to philosophy and classical philology in Warsaw. During my break from academia, I completed my military service, gained accounting experience, and held various jobs. My focused return to university was driven by the "discovery" of cognitive science and science and technology studies — areas of interest to which I remain committed today.
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-9046-2855
Current positions and affiliations
since 2020 – Assistant Professor in the Department of Logic and Cognitive Science of the Maria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin
since 2025 – Assistant Professor at the Department of Epistemology and Cognitive Science of the Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz
since 2021 – Board Member of the Avant Project
Past academic jobs
2015–2019 – Researcher within NCN-funded projects at the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw
2011–2020 – Author and Coordinator of science dissemination projects at the Centre for Philosophical Research (Torun and Warsaw)
Education
planned: 2026–2027 – Postgraduate program in Ethnology, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń
2020 – PhD in Philosophy, University of Warsaw. Dissertation: "Interactions in distributed cognitive systems and methodological individualism." Advisor: Prof. Marcin Miłkowski (Polish Academy of Sciences). Co-advisor: Dr. Marek Pokropski (University of Warsaw). Thesis Reviewers: Prof. Joanna Rączaszek-Leonardi (University of Warsaw), Prof. Zbysław Muszyński (Maria Curie-Skłodowska University)
2014–2019 – PhD studies at the Institute of Philosophy, University of Warsaw
2011 – MA in Philosophy, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. Thesis: "Visual awareness as a form of action: Selected consequences of the embodied approach to research on vision." Advisor: Prof. Michał Tempczyk
2009 – BA in Philosophy, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. Thesis: "Presence of mind: Open mindfulness meditation in neurophenomenology." Advisor: Dr. Tomasz Komendziński
2006–2011 – Philosophy studies at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń
Areas of specialization and interests
philosophy of cognitive science; cognitive anthropology; social studies of science and technology; cognitive ecology; distributed cognition theory; mechanistic explanation; affordance research; socio-cognitive design research; studies on interdisciplinarity; situated normativity; predictive processing; cultural semiotics; research on film perception
Participation in research projects
since 2021 – „Cognitive Ecology as a Research Tradition in Anthropology, Psychology, and Cognitive Science” More
2020–2021 – "The science of language evolution: the state of the art and significance to language sciences," NCN grant More
2018–2019 – "Cognitive Science in Search of Unity: Unification and Integration of Interdisciplinary Research," NCN grant More
2015–2019 – "Interactions in distributed cognitive systems and methodological individualism," NCN grant More
2012–2014 – "Relevance of wide cognition for social intelligence. Key trends," SINTELNET: European Network for Social Intelligence, FP7-ICT grant More
International cooperation
2017–2021 – External cooperation with the CogNovo project (University of Plymouth)
2018–2019 – External cooperation with the MLAG project (University of Porto)
2012–2018 – Participation in the Wide Cognition project (SINTELNET & IPS PAS)
Membership in scientific organizations
Society for Psychological Anthropology of the American Anthropological Association – since 2026
Polish Cognitive Science Society – since 2024
Cognitive Science Society – since 2017
Philosophy of the City Research Group – since 2017
Society for Cognitive Studies of the Moving Image – since 2016
Centre for Philosophical Research – 2011–2021
Avant Project – since 2010*/2021 (* until 2021 the Avant Project was affiliated with the CfPR)
In my free time
I read poetry, novels and biographies, watch (very) old movies, listen to jazz, classical and experimental music, as well as rock and pop. Sport: amateur, with occasional injuries. Travel: rather a wanderer than a tourist. Social life: yes.
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